Platform on window, door, frame technology, hardware, roof and facade technology, security
First, I would like to thank the Profiel team for giving me the opportunity to write this ‘De Pen’ column. Because I want to share a major concern: the increasing regulatory burden in Europe, which is making things increasingly difficult for businesses. As a result, the continuity and innovative strength of our industry are at risk. Why is the government burdening us with this bureaucratization? In other words: will SMEs still exist in 10 years?
Almost every day, I wonder how policymakers in the Brussels boardrooms make decisions when they literally have no idea what the practical consequences will be. Surely our daily challenge—that is, for us as businesses—shouldn’t be: What do I have to do today to please Brussels?
For example, I’m thinking of the implications of the CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) for European industry. The idea is sound, but as it is currently structured, raw materials must meet certain requirements. If they do not, producers must purchase emission certificates, which makes the raw materials more expensive. Even if you purchase raw materials abroad, they must meet these requirements.
At this time, however, these rules do not apply to ready-made products such as locks and cylinders. This means that similar products from China are not required to meet these requirements. Therefore, you do not need to purchase certificates for them. And you guessed it: these products from China are immediately cheaper. And, we have a competitive disadvantage.
For us as a company, the reality is this: if we were to focus solely on costs and regulations, we would have to move our production abroad. But that is precisely what we do not want. As a traditional family business, we are also an SME. We have a local responsibility to provide jobs. We want continuity. Surely it can’t be that everything we’ve all built up through hard work over the years can be undermined by this bureaucratization? Why doesn’t Europe give us the leeway to stick to our core business?
With all these rules—and there are more and more of them—we’ve lost track of which requirements we need to meet. Our money is going toward administrative tasks instead of innovation. Even here in Germany, interest groups are struggling to understand what’s actually happening in Brussels.
Please consider this column a cry for help. I hope that policymakers and politicians will read this and realize that things cannot continue this way. Our wonderful industry in Germany and the Netherlands—and thus in Europe as well—wants to survive and be passed on to the next generation. However, the pressing question is: how much longer can we keep this up?
In short, which of our policymakers will rise to the challenge posed by this wake-up call? The future of our businesses is at stake due to the excessive bureaucratization in Europe.
